Primary links

Europe's East

The European Council has adopted the decision to establish a European Union defense pact, known as PESCO. The 25 participating EU states are set to begin working on a series of joint-defense projects next year.

Each year, toward the end of November, excitement begins to build up among the Finnish foreign and defense policy cognoscenti, as the results of an annual public opinion survey sponsored by the Advisory Board of Defence Information (Maanpuolustustiedotuksen suunnittelukunta, MTS), is to be launched.

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has endorsed this new modeling. References to Atatürk are blooming. Nationalistic political discourse is gradually taking root. This is part of a state-level initiative and it is largely about reshaping Turkey’s raison-d’état in order to tackle new national and regional challenges.

The Kosovo government's new commission on the border deal with Montenegro has attacked the agreement, saying it endorsed a border that did not follow Kosovo's previous border, when it was a province of Yugoslavia.

Corsican nationalists made historic gains in the first round of elections for the new island-wide assembly this weekend. Leaders of the nationalist alliance challenged the government to draw up plans for "real autonomy" within three years.

African and European countries have adopted a special joint declaration on Libya and said they want to repatriate migrants stranded in Libya to their countries of origin. But the question of who should pay for it has been carefully avoided. EURACTIV France reports from Abidjan.